North of Sri Lanka

This once devastated region has now become a well-deserved popular destination for local and foreign tourists. These places are a fount of unique architecture, cultural festivals and many other interesting sights. The blending of Tamil, Sinhalese and Islamic cultures over the centuries has given Sri Lanka's north its unique charm, a special style that does not occur anywhere else.

Vavuniya — The main city for most Tamil of the country. A major transport hub in the region.Mannar — North of Vavuniya, this city is known for revered Catholic shrines, for example, The Madhu Church. Here is the miraculous statue of Mary. Even pilgrims do not make pilgrimage here. The masses of pilgrims from all corners of the country visit the festival in the temple of Madhu annually.Mannar Island — the nearest point on the border with neighboring India. This place was once a popular haven of pearl collectors. Mannar in previous centuries was also popular among Arab merchants who, by the way, brought the donkeys to Sri Lanka.Archaeological Museum — The exhibition features a collection of Buddha statues of the 5th century.Jaffna is the northern point of Sri Lanka, which is divided by the Polk Bay. This city is very close to the southern part of the Indian coast. The former military town is currently developing dynamically and is quickly becoming a favorite destination for tourists.Townsenda — Many interesting architectural influences prevail in this city with the Dutch buildings of the colonial period. The appearance of the town was influenced by the proximity of South India — in the architecture of churches, churches, Tamil kovils. There are a lot of impressive buildings here.Fort Jafna — Built by the Dutch, it is widely regarded as the largest fort in Asia. The fort is built in the shape of a star. In Fort de Groot Kirk there was once a fierce battle between the British and the former colonialists of the island.Jaffna Lagoon — To the south of the fort there is a lagoon that separates Jaffna from the islands of Kaites and Karaitivu.Jafna Public Library — Here is an impressive collection of Tamil literature in South Asia.Tower Clock — Designed by a British architect who is also responsible for the construction of the Old Town Hall in Colombo and the National Museum. The clock tower is an architectural blend of Gothic architecture with elements of Islamic architecture.Vaitishvara Temple — a shrine dedicated to God Shiva. One of the most interesting temples in these places. Architecture has a Dutch influence, because the shrine itself was built during the era of Dutch domination in Sri Lanka.Kastury Street — the center of the jewelry industry of Jaffna. The whole street is filled with Gold Traders. The glitter of gold, silver and gems makes this place very colorful and interesting.Punnalai Varataja Perumal Kovil is a large temple in which there are several colorful statues of Hindu deities and a beautiful turtle-shaped stone.Archaeological Museum — The museum represents various Hindu statues and chariots of Hindu gods, Buddha statues and a portrait of Queen Victoria. Among other things, many other interesting exhibits.The Monastery of the Rosary — The heritage of the colonial style, this building is under the care of the guardians — the sisters Rosary, who are known for doing the same kind of home winemaking.Seminary — the Victorian style church of Saint Martin and the chapel.Cathedral — The building is architecturally in Portuguese style, and is dedicated to Saint Mary. At the same time the building is from the Dutch era.Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil — a shrine dedicated to God Kataragama, better known as Murugana. In this part of the island the temple is seen as the most impressive of all. Many shrines can be found inside the kovil. The rooms are very ornate. Several times a day there is an everyday puja (Hindu worship), except on August 26th. On this day — the culmination of Hindu celebrations in honor of Murugana, passing with pomposity throughout Jaffna.Jaffna Peninsula — is an agricultural center in the north, and as if blessed by the gods fertile land. Many interesting sights such as springs that are believed to possess miraculous power, several temples and a beautiful stretch of beach are also located here.Kantarodai — here is a cluster of ancient Buddhist dagobas. Their main mission has not yet been solved.Kaytes — A large island among a group of islands is not far from Jaffna. It is a fairly remote island, on which you can see the ruined Fort Fayer built by the Portuguese.The Church of St. James — small remains of this once beautiful temple can also be seen on the Kaytes island.Karaitivu — To the north of Jaffna lies Karaitivu, where the largest Portuguese church is Waddukoddai. Also there are several ancient Dutch tombstones.Casuarina Beach — the most popular beach area on the peninsula in the area of Karainagar in 20 km. from Jaffna.Kirimalai Hot Spring — It is believed that its waters have a miraculous power since the days of the ancient Indian epos Mahabharata.Point Pedro is the northern point of the Jaffna peninsula. The main attractions of the town are that there are several Catholic churches and a lighthouse.Lighthouse at Point Pedro — Located on the northern tip of the peninsula. And to the east of the lighthouse lies a picturesque beach, which is very popular with locals and tourists.The Manaikadu Desert — a huge stretch of sand dunes, an absolutely extraordinary sight.Wallipuram is one of the main cities in this part of the peninsula. The legend says that Lord Vishnu appeared in these parts in the avatar of the fish. This city is famous for its ancient Hindu temple.Fort Hammenhiel — Built by the Dutch and named after Sri Lanka. It is believed that the Dutch Sri Lanka in outline on the then geographical maps resembled the leg of Ham.Nainativu is a small island that is famous for the temple Nagatiba Vihara, a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site. As the ancient chronicles say, here the eyewitnesses met the Buddha during His second visit to Sri Lanka. After the arrival of Buddha, a dispute was resolved between the two kings of the Naga dynasty, and they were reconciled.Naga Pushani Ambal Kovil — a shrine dedicated to the goddess Ambal, who is prayed during the blessings of the newborns.Delft — After the long domination of Sri Lanka by all 3 colonial powers, the island inherited the unique kinds of ponies that were introduced here by the Portuguese.

During your stay in sunny Sri Lanka, we can arrange your tour to the north of the island. Contact us regarding your desire to visit this region: info@lankarus.com